Padding  shapes -

The two main shapes within the Elizabeth era which includes padding is a lift at the center of the top of the head and a heart shape.



Here are a variety of images i have taken where i have included padding -

When including padding i felt it was much easier using the padding at the center of head rather than the heart shaoe as i felt it much more challenging to create the heart shape and make sure both the sides were equal sizes,

Modern Elizabethan hair -


Inspiration of modern Elizabethan styles - Each of these images the hair has been removed from the forehead and has been pinned back by either a braid or a middle parting. I feel image 2,3 and 4 of the photographs have been kept much neater tighter however within the first image the style is much more loose and less tense by creating a very loose braid across the head into a messy side pony tail, Image number two have included a number of small, tight cornrows going across one ear to the other. The style is kept very clean with all fly aways have been kept to place. I decided to include image number three as not only has the stylist created a lift at the top of the head seen in many designs but has also included a lift at the bottom of the head to create shape instead of a flat design. After looking at a number of braided hair styles i came across this image which i thought was unique and very different to what i had been coming across. I love how the artist has created a different technique of braid with the hair however still signifies the Elizabethan era due to the middle parting and braids at the back.

Practicing for the final assessment -

Here are a few images of a practice session we did in class of my partners hair design. There are a couple of ways i felt needed improving after completing this look. For one i felt by creating a lift using padding instead of back brushing will lift the hair much higher and would help the style look less messy. With the braids i felt they could both be much tighter and secured much better towards the head. Lastly i felt by using hairspray when creating the six buns at the back of the head would help prevent any fly aways.

Final Evaluation of my partners hair design -






This is the final outcome of my partners hair design. For this task we were asked to create a modern hair design however symbolizes the Elizabethan era. To start of this design i sectioned a small section of hair closest to the hair line and created a middle parting. I then continued to french braid both sections of hair down to the ear. This has also been repeated however going from one ear to the other to create a braid across the whole of the head. Secondly, i saw my see my partners design included padding at the top of the head to create a lift just like how they did in the Elizabethan era. I sectioned the hair and used a curling wand to curl each of hair to create loose curls and volume to go around the padding to hide each area. At the back of the head their were 6 braided buns. The most challenging area in this design i feel was trying to hide everything that was keeping the hair in place such as the padding and pins. Overall i am very pleased with the way this design has came out as i feel i have done my best. The buns are neat and well secured as well as the padding however i feel that i could have hid the padding much more by creating more volume and creating a higher lift. Overall working on my partners design it was very clear of what was needed to be done. we met up at least three times a week to practice as much as possible to get each of our designs to perfection. Her design was clear and very easy to understand as she has written short and simple sentences and was very clear and constructive when explaining what was needed to improve or any changes she had made in the design,

My final hair design created on myself by my partner -


Within this final design i decided i definitely would like to use padding instead of back brushing the hair to create the heart shaped lift. I felt padding would be much more stable and secure. I also decided to use the crimping technique to go across the padding as it helps hide the padding due to increasing the volume of hair.

For the back of the head i experimented with a number of braids/curls and buns, I wanted something eye-catching, challenging and unique. By experiments with the lace braid going around the head i loved the way the design came out so knew instantly i would like to create something similar. This then lead me to create the braid in the pictures above. Within the braid you start from the top left and work your way around the sides of the head grabbing pieces of hair from each side to add into the braid. This then goes into a spiral shape that eventually spirals into the middle of the head where i have creates a simple braided bun.

This design is traditional yet modern in a number ways. This style is modern to due the spiral and bun yet traditional to the era due to the crimp technique and the lift of the hair showing much more of the forehead therefore symbolizing the high headline worn by queen Elizabeth.

Elizabethan Portraits -

Here is a portait of Queen Elizabeth  created in 1580-5 by Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder. There was no name for this oil painting,  Within this portrait the queen is holding an olive branch in her left hand, a sword and dog beside her feet.

Symbols seen in Queen Elizabeth portraits - 

The pelican - This was one of the most used symbol within Queen Elizabeth portriats. This was to portray her motherly love as mother pelicans were believed to pluck their own breasts to feed their dying young. The mother would then die and this became the symbol to represent jesus sacraising his life on the cross.

Dogs - Dogs ssymbolize trust, loyalty  and faithfulness as they stick by their owners side throughout their life.

Gloves represented elegance and wealth.

Olive branches which can be seen included in this portrait represents peace.

Ermine - This is an animal of the weasel family.This was believed to symbolize royalty and high nobility

A sieve - This is the symbol to symbolize her virginity and purity.

Crowns, obs and scepters were used to symbolize and signify monarchy

A phoenix - This is a mythological bird which never dies however after 500 years is consumed by fire and re-born. This then makes it a symbolism of Resurrection, endurance and eternal life. Only one bird is alive so also represents the queens uniqueness and longevity.

More experiments for final assessments

My inspiration - http://www.youtube.com/user/CuteGirlsHairstyles


These are a few images i found i wanted to re create myself.



My own re- creation -
Here i have crimped the first section of hair at the front of the head. I have then used two pieces of padding at either side of the head and pinned the crimped hair down. After i was happy with the way the padding was placed i sectioned the hair around the whole of the head and pinned that out of the way to create my bun. The bun was simple as i didn't want too much going on with this design. One i had created the bun i took the left over section of head and french braided it all the way around the top. bottom, left, and right of the head forming a circle and pinned it towards the bun. I found this hairstyle much more challenging to create which i enjoyed as i was pushed to go out of my comfort zone.





Lace braided bun -



I had roughly about 20 minutes of the lesson left so didn't want to waste it so decided to re-create one of the images i found inspiring. I feel this is a much more traditional hairstyle example using the Elizabethan theme.